Why You Should Personally Mentor Your Newest Manager

Running a business can be equally rewarding and challenging. Every company, regardless of industry, is dependent upon the people who make the day-to-day operations possible and profitable. A good business leader, therefore, won’t only focus on the success of the products and services that their company offers, they’ll also know how important it is to effectively manage employees.

Mentoring all of your employees, individually, would be ideal, but different work schedules and time constraints can make that impossible. Fortunately, you can significantly influence and impact a small number of employees who will, in turn, positively influence the others. In companies with more than one level of hierarchy, that means personally mentoring the managers. In this post, we’re making the case for why you should personally manage your  managers—especially your newest ones.

Hands-on or hands-off approach?

Some business owners believe that autonomy is the best way to create a successful company. After giving basic guidelines to managers about how the company operates, they think that the managers should supervise other employees as they see fit, with little guidance or direction. This strategy can work in the short term, but a more hands-on approach will ensure success for the long term.

Personally mentoring your managers, in particular the newest ones, is one of the best ways to make your business more successful, greatly improving both customer and employee satisfaction. Here are 6 reasons why you should personally mentor your newest managers:

There is more than one right way to do something

With most things in life, there is usually more than one way to do things. While this is true overall, with your business you undoubtedly want some things to be done in a specific way. Autonomous managers running things as they see fit can ultimately be a source of stress for you, particularly in a time of crisis.

By mentoring your managers and explaining to them, in detail, exactly how you like things done with your business, you can streamline operations and increase productivity.

Expectations are set upfront

By mentoring managers from day one, you can make your expectations very clear and verify that they’re fair and reasonable. Without defining what you want from the beginning, you may find yourself doing more damage control than running a business. This way, you will be in a much better position in the future if you need to discuss unachieved goals.

Mentoring helps build and strengthen relationships

Building a relationship with your managers is important for a number of reasons. Mentoring adds a very personal touch to training, building close relationships that encourage trust and loyalty. Managers will be more likely to reveal problems with operations and offer suggestions if they feel like you are their ally with a common goal: the long-term success of your company.

When you realize that managers have the best understanding of the pulse of the company, as well as the nuances of daily operations, this honesty becomes quite valuable.

Mentoring can build cohesiveness

Managers taught by the same mentor (you) will be more likely to tackle problems in a similar way. A sense of community – “we’re all in this together” – will increase productivity and reduce politically motivated conflicts.

Mentoring can make your business more sellable

Even if you currently love your business and you cannot imagine selling it, that may change. Mentored managers who are on the same page about internal processes are the foundation for a turn-key company that is easy to sell to a large corporation or capital finance group.

Your business benefits from your experience

Perhaps the simplest and most significant reason to personally mentor your managers is because doing so is the best way to share your skills and experience with them, magnifying the influence and impact that you have on your company, which in the end is good for everyone.

More helpful resources on leadership and mentoring

If you’re interested in becoming a better leader or mentor to your managers and employees, read through some of the articles below:

• How to Be a Better, Stronger, More Engaging and Respected Leader by Lauren Covello
• 4 Simple Things You Can Do To Be A Better Leader by Brent Gleeson
• To Be a Better Leader, Learn How to Learn by Ilan Mochari
• How to Make a Business Mentoring Relationship Work by Martin Zwilling
• How You Can Become a Better Mentor by Jose Costa

Conclusion

Mentoring takes time, but it’s a worthwhile investment. When you mentor your managers, you’ll find that they become more loyal, more helpful, more productive, and more dedicated to helping you grow your business.

Have you been taking time to personally mentor any of your managers or employees? Share you experiences with us below.